Exercise Handle for Fully Looped Elastic Resistance Bands

ABSTRACT

An exercise handle to be used with fully looped elastic resistance bands comprising of the following features: an open concave channel spanning the length of a cylindrical form with two ends that allows for easy and intuitively attaching/removing the form from the band, a generally ergonomic form between the two ends of said cylindrical form, and additional features on either end of the form to protect the users hands from the band while gripping and performing exercises with the handle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Application type: Provisional

Application title: Loop Elastic Resistance Band Handle

Application No. 62/957,244

First named inventor: Jacob Dennison Byrne

Receipt date: Jan. 5, 2020 (The fifth day of January, 2020)

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY INVENTOR

As a current student studying industrial design at the MilwaukeeInstitute of Art and Design, after I had my provisional applicationaccepted for this invention I decided to upload my design process to mypublic design website (https://jdbyrne.design/) to use as promotionalmaterial for myself as a designer. Here, I show the where the idea forthe invention originated from, addressing the current competition, myinitial and refined sketches and drawings, prototypes, interviews, andmanufacturability. The title of the invention on my website is referredto as the “Bandle” which is what I intend to call the product once Ibegin manufacturing and advertising for sale. Below and on the next pageI show a couple screenshots of said website, where the above content canbe found. (See Image 01 and Image 02)

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention is an ergonomic handle designed to ease the use ofendlessly looped elastic resistance bands by means of an open channelspanning the length of the handle where the elastic resistance band caneasily be placed and removed from.

Description of Related Art

A) Other relatable exercise handle inventions are used with elasticcables that have two ends, rather than a fully looped elastic band thatwill be used in mine. (See Image 03 or patent: U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,637)While these handles are well designed to work with cable styled elasticworkout bands, there is a lack for a handle to be used along with afully looped elastic resistance bands. These types of fully loopedelastic bands are heavily used by consumers among varying industries (athome, public gyms, personal trainers, physical therapists, etc.) whichmakes me fully believe that a handle designed specifically to be usedwith them will be widely accepted and appreciated.

B) U.S. Pat. No. 8,172,727 B2 (see Image 04) is very similar to theinvention that I wish to create. It even seems to be similar in that theexercise handle could be used with a fully looped elastic band thatwould be set within a channel in the handle. The way that I see myinvention being different is that in my invention, at no point in thehandle does the handle fully lock the band in place. As in the channelthat houses the band is open. In the text content and drawings of U.S.Pat. No. 8,172,727 B2 covers, it seems that the area in which the usergrips the handle fully wraps around the band. This can be seen indrawing FIG. 36-C (see Image 05). This makes the handle permanentlyattached to the band, where as with my invention the handle could beeasily removed from the band when needed.

C) There are current handles designed to be used with a fully loopedelastic band however, are attached via the means of a clip or externalmechanism. (See Image 06 or patent: U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,505) While thisdoes attatch the handle to the fully looped elastic band, it does havesome downfalls that my invention makes up for:

1) The only point of contact between the handle and the loop is thesmall surface area of the clip. This can easily cause the handle toslide up and down on the elastic band while in use which can causediscomfort, poor form during exercise, and even injury if slipped toofar. My invention addresses this issue by having a far larger surfacearea (the concave channel) that is always in contact with the band. Thushaving a firmer grip.

2) Again, having such a small surface area that is in contact with theband can cause excess wear and tear on the band, especially if the clipis made with a harsh material such as metal which it most likely is.This can eventually cause the band to break which will almost certainlyresult in injury to the user or others nearby. It also shortens theoverall lifetime of the band.

3) Having to include a separate mechanism that allows for the handle toconnect to the band requires a more extensive manufacturing process thatrequires more raw materials to be consumed, a higher cost per product,potentially environmentally harmful practices, and an overall lengthiercreation process. My invention's natural form allows it to seamlessly beconnected to the band without any additional mechanisms to be added.This form is easily manufacturable by means of four total mold parts andcan be efficiently made via injection molding. Preferably with amaterial that is eco friendly, such as 100% recycled HDPE.

D) There are other relatable weight bearing handle inventions that aredesigned to be attached to a loop but are used in different instancessuch as aiding in carrying grocery bags (see Image 07 or patent: U.S.Pat. No. 7,387,324 B1). These are similarly shaped and have a similarusage however, would not be able to be used to aid in the use of fullylooped elastic resistance bands. This is due to:

1) The channel, being designed to accommodate grocery bags, is not largeenough to hold the thickness of elastic resistance bands.

2) Since grocery bags do not cause any skin irritation, the inventor didnot need to incorporate forms at either end of the channel to protectthe users hands from rubbing against the grocery bag. Where as in myinvention, there will be areas on either end to help keep the band offof the users hands during use to insure comfort.

E) So far the only product I have seen on the market that is similar tothe product I have invented is the CLENCH Fitness Band Handle, which hasseemed to be on the market since 2018. (See Images 08, 09, and 10) Thisproduct does intend to aid in the use of fully looped exercise handleshowever, is different from my invention in the following ways:

1) The elastic band is not set inside of a channel within the handle.Rather, it is fed along the outside of the handle and aligned using acouple “U” shaped aligners that stick out perpendicular to the handle.While this can work for only using one handle on a thin band, the userwill run into issues if they wish to go heavier and use thicker bands asthe user will be limited to what can fit flat within the “U” shapedaligners. Where as with my invention, the user can fold the band in halflengthwise and place into the open channel to accommodate larger bands.

2) The placement of the “U” shaped aligners also causes the band to beplaced on the outside of the handle, resulting in a larger diameter thatthe user will need to grip.

2) These “U” shaped aligners make for an overall larger product, whichasks for a larger amount of unnecessary material to be consumed inmanufacturing that wouldn't need to be with my invention.

3) The CLENCH Fitness Band Handle has a series of sub handles on eitherend of the main handle that can be used in certain exercises. However, Isee these as simply over complicating a product that can otherwise bemuch simpler and intuitive to use. The exercises promoted with thesehandles can be easily executed perfectly with two of my handles side byside or potentially two of theirs side by side, if they rethought their“U” shaped aligners which currently restrict this. These sub handles arealso very small, do not keep ergonomics in mind, and have the potentialto be uncomfortable under heavy resistance or by those with delicatehands.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

1) The present invention will be an ergonomic handle with anincorporated concave channel having two ends, allowing an endlesslylooping elastic resistance band to be set inside of.

2) The present invention will be ergonomically shaped, to insure afamiliar and comfortable feel when being gripped by any user. This mayor may not include a texture and/or overmold added to the exterior toaid in ergonomics.

3) The present invention will have form features at either end of thechannel to assist in keeping the endlessly looping resistance band offof the skin of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 01) This shows a three quarter perspective view of an example of ahandle that could exist as an invention under this nonprovisional patentapplication.

FIG. 01-A) Pointing to the channel feature of the handle that the fullylooped elastic band could be placed inside of.

FIG. 01-B) The ergonomic nature of the handle.

FIG. 01-C) Features that help keep the fully looped elastic band off ofthe skin of the user.

FIGS. 02 & 03) Orthographic front and side views of the handle in FIG.01.

FIG. 04) Showing an example of how a fully looped elastic band can beeasily placed within the handle.

FIGS. 05, 06, 07, & 08) Showing examples of how a user can interact withthe handle in conjunction with a fully looped elastic band.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF IMAGES

Image 01) referenced in STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BYINVENTOR. this is a screenshot from the inventors personal website.screenshot from: https://jdbyrne.design/bandle

Image 02) referenced in STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BYINVENTOR. this is a screenshot from the inventors personal website.screenshot from: https://jdbyrne.design/bandle

Image 03) cover of U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,637 for reference in DESCRIPTIONOF RELATED ART (A)

Image 04) cover of U.S. Pat. No. 8,172,727 B2 for reference inDESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (B)

Image 05) FIG. 36C of U.S. Pat. No. 8,172,727 B2 for reference inDESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (B)

Image 06) cover of U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,505 for reference in DESCRIPTIONOF RELATED ART (C)

Image 07) cover of U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,324 B1 for reference inDESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (D)

Image 08) screenshot showing clenchfitness.com activity via waybackmachine for reference in DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (E)

Image 09) screenshot showing product from: https://clenchfitness.com/for reference in DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (E)

Image 10) screenshot showing product from: https://clenchfitness.com/for reference in DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART (E)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an ergonomically shaped handle that can beeasily attached and detached to endlessly looped elastic resistancebands through the inclusion of an open channel located between the firstand second end of the handle. This invention has been created to keepthe user from having to grip the elastic resistance band itself, whichis known to cause skin irritation, pinching, and general discomfort.Fully looped elastic bands have been proven to serve many benefits,which is why they are still being used dispite these downfalls. Sincefully looped elastic bands are still a heavily used piece of equipmentin public and private gyms, personal training practices, and especiallyin physical therapy practices (were users hands may already be delicateand sensitive to begin with) I'm inclined to believe that this inventionwill serve a good purpose and have a high demand. Again, what differsthis invention from current inventions is the concave channel with twoends that the endlessly looped elastic band can easily be set inside of.This makes attaching the handle to the fully looped elastic band easy,intuitive, and makes the product more easily manufacturable whencompared to handles that require additional mechanisms (such as clipsand or hooks) to be attached to the elastic band. On either end of thechannel, the present invention may incorporate additional forms thathelp insure the band does not touch the users hand while performingcertain exercises with the invention. The exterior of the invention mayalso incorporate a texture (such as sandblasting) or a separateovermolded material to aid in grip and comfort.

1. An ergonomic exercise handle to be used with fully looped elasticbands, the handle comprising: Element A) An elongated cylindrical formwith a first end and a second end, with an open channel spanning fromthe first end to the second end. Element B) Additional and/or removedmass on the exterior of said elongated cylindrical form between thefirst and second ends that improve ergonomics Element C) Additional masson the first and/or second ends of said elongated cylindrical form withpurpose to keep users hands safe.
 2. The handle of claim 1 furthercomprising: a textured and/or overmolded exterior to exist between thefirst end and second end of said elongated cylindrical form to aid ingrip.
 3. The handle of claim 1 further comprising: a separate elongatedtube-like sheath with a central cavity that can wrap around saidelongated cylindrical form between the first and second end. Said sheathcan freely rotate about the same centerline of the said elongatedcylindrical form. This so that a person can grip the sheath and allowfor the handle of claim 1 to rotate freely within the said elongatedtube-like sheath.
 4. The handle of claim 1 further comprising of amechanism to close said channel to lock the fully looped elastic bandinto the cavity of the channel, thus turning the said elongatedcylindrical form into an elongated tube-like form with a central cavityspanning from the first end to the second end.